PROCLAMATION

On this 7th day of September, 2018, we come together to proclaim our love for our city of ‘Ogap
’ogeh, La Villa Real de la Santa Fe de San Francisco de Asís, Santa Fe: our people, our languages, our ways of life,
and this sacred land and its blessings, which we gratefully receive.

We acknowledge the past and its trauma, tragedy, and sorrow; we understand its legacy in the present. We
acknowledge wounds older and deeper than any on this continent. On behalf of those from the past who cannot
ask forgiveness, we do so now.

We also acknowledge the remarkable depth of wisdom and resiliency that comes from struggle. We share
in our grief; we share in our strength.

We acknowledge the ties that bind us together in an unbreakable bond of solidarity with each other, our
Creator, and the land we all love.

We recognize that there is much healing to do. We understand that genuine reconciliation is a generations-
long process that is challenging and complex—it will test our resilience. For that reason, we commit ourselves to
honest and compassionate engagement no matter how hard, no matter how long. We believe in our capacity to
change and to be changed.

We rededicate ourselves to our core values: Love, Respect, Compassion, Faith, Understanding, Empathy,
and Gratitude.

We ask that our children experience peace and know its spirit; that our families nurture peace in their
homes; that our communities practice love; and that the world echo this peace.

We stand together today for our children, guided by our sacred duty to know and learn from the past, to
acknowledge the present, and to envision a future in which all will thrive.

We join together to make a new offering of peace and resolve to move forward together. We come
clothed in gratitude for the gifts of our Creator.

Let us begin our walk, here, as stewards of something greater than ourselves. Let us cultivate a new era
for Santa Fe—having listened to and learned from each other, having acknowledged difficult truths, having seen
the possibility of a future based on harmony and love.

Let us release our burdens. Let us unlearn and relearn. Let us walk together, one step and then another,
that we may speak truth, that we may be transformed, that we may heal, that we may be kin.

We offer these as promises and commit to our children to choose the right path today, so that in the fu-
ture, they may call us good ancestors.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF,
WE HEREUNTO SET OUR HANDS
THIS 7TH DAY OF SEPTEMBER, 2018.

MR. THOMAS BACA-GUTIÉRREZ MR. E. PAUL TORRES

PRESIDENT, LOS CABALLEROS DE VARGAS CHAIRMAN, ALL PUEBLO COUNCIL OF GOVERNORS

MR. MANUEL GARCIA HONORABLE ALAN WEBBER

IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT, LOS CABALLEROS DE VARGAS MAYOR, CITY OF SANTA FE

MS. MELISSA MASCAREÑAS MOST REV. JOHN C. WESTER

PRESIDENT, FIESTA COUNCIL, INC. ARCHBISHOP OF SANTA FE